Seven today delivered their 2016 programming schedule to a select group of media buyers in Sydney, and along with a raft of new shows next year it’s going to be all about streaming video.
It was confirmed that live streaming will be a big focus of the Network’s approach, with all three free-to-air channels made available through the website 7live.com.au from later this year, along with a number of other add-on programs & products.
It was announced that OzTAM will (finally – after promising it for two years) deliver a new ratings category Video Play Measurement (VPM), designed to deliver a count on plays of shows/content once it moves to online catch-up.
Seven also reminded everyone that they will be the televisual home of the Rio 2016 Olympics, along with their online streaming/multi-channel/app strategy to deliver all events live.
A host of new shows & sizzle for the new year formed a large part of the “mobile” presentation, with guests moved from room-to-room to encounter each themed experience.
Highlights include:
- The Melbourne Cup 2015 race will be livestreamed through the Seven app.
- A new female judge will be included in the new season of MKR
- A new Rebecca Gibney drama Wanted
- Jessica Mauboy will star in a new drama The Secret Daughter
- A new dating show Kiss Bang Love
- Two Aussie families are left a suitcase of cash & have to choose how to spend it in The Day The Cash Came
- A confirmed mini-series about Australia’s favourite hat wearer Molly
The full release from the network follows:
Seven unveils plans for development for 2016 and beyond
The Seven Network – Australia’s most-watched broadcast television platform – today unveiled its plans for development over the coming months.
Underpinned by its commitment to the creation and development of Australian programming and market leadership for the ninth consecutive year in primetime, Seven today detailed a sweeping plan for the delivery of its television programming and content to all Australians, anytime and on any device.
The Seven Network moves into 2016 with an all-encompassing agreement for coverage of the Olympic Games, a long-term partnership with the Australian Football League and a strong slate of new programmes that build on Seven’s leadership across primetime and breakfast and morning television.
But beyond Seven’s commitment to broadcast television, Seven West Media – Australia’s leading integrated media and content creation company – today also released plans for its development in the delivery of its market-leading broadcast television, publishing and digital content to all Australians.
Commenting, Tim Worner, Seven West Media’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, said: “We are a content company. We deliver audiences. We are everywhere. And we are delivering our content to our audiences anywhere, anytime, on any device. We are a driving force in the development and delivery of content in a changing communications landscape and we will continue our transformation and integration of our content businesses across broadcast television and publishing, subscription and advertising-funded video-on-demand, live streaming and other forms of content delivery. What drives our business now and into the future is our ability and creativity in content and our ability to deliver our audiences to our advertisers.”
Commenting, Kurt Burnette, Seven West Media’s Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We are the home of many of Australia’s best performing media businesses across broadcast television, publishing, online and mobile, with an increasing presence in video on demand. Importantly, our planning is driven by ensuring we continue to secure the audiences advertisers are seeking, no matter how or where our audiences engage with our content. We are well-placed for 2016 and beyond.”
New on Seven in 2016
Seven today confirmed a number of new programmes that will underpin the network’s commitment to Australian programming, including Jessica Mauboy in THE SECRET DAUGHTER, Rebecca Gibney in WANTED, and the much-anticipated mini-series, MOLLY. Also new to Seven is the new live event series SUNDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY and the provocative new formats KISS BANG LOVE and THE DAY THE CASH CAME.
Commenting, Angus Ross, Seven’s Director of Network Programming, said: “We will use the two best launch platforms available – the Australian Open tennis and the Olympic Games – to unleash more new Australian programming than ever before. These new shows will join the returning juggernauts of MKR and House Rules as just some of the building blocks that we’ve mapped out to deliver audience growth in 2016. Seven will be a more dominant number one in 2016.”
Commenting, Brad Lyons, Seven’s Director of Network Production, said: “We are more committed to Australian production than ever. The number of hours we produce continues to grow and in 2016 we will be launching more new shows than ever before. We look forward to detailing further new Australian commissioned and produced projects in the coming months.”
The Olympic Games
Seven is set to deliver the most technologically advanced coverage of any event to all Australians with its all-encompassing coverage of the Olympic Games in Rio.
The Olympic Games in Rio are the first Games for Seven as part of an historic, long-term agreement for all-encompassing coverage of the Olympic Games over the coming decade. Seven’s agreement with the International Olympic Committee delivers free broadcast television and subscription television rights, and expands beyond television to Seven’s online, mobile and social platforms. Seven has also secured radio broadcasting rights.
Under the unprecedented new agreement, Seven will broadcast the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020. Underlining this new partnership is an option which, if exercised, extends the rights to include the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 and the XXXIII Olympic Games in 2024.
Commenting, Mr Worner said: “Seven will create and deliver the most comprehensive, technologically advanced, multi-platform coverage of the Olympic Games to all Australians on any communications device. We are ready. The Olympic Games will be a remarkable platform for Seven as we continue to move forward as a media company, developing new content and building new businesses which will drive our future as Australia’s leading integrated media and communications business.”
Anywhere, Anytime, Any Device
Seven West Media today released details of 7 Sync. 7 Sync is a “premium moment marketing platform” that will deliver content and brands across mobile and social media “in sync” with Seven’s live programme broadcasts.
Commenting, Clive Dickens, Seven West Media’s Chief Digital Officer, said: “We know that consumers love using their mobiles whilst enjoying our shows on television. 7 Sync ensures that the creative and the objectives of our partners and sponsors are carried across all companion devices exclusively ‘in sync’ with our broadcast.”
In another landmark digital development, Seven and Yahoo7 will soon also commence live-streaming of three broadcast television channels – Seven, 7TWO and 7mate – across all delivery platforms, 24/7. The launch of this new initiative builds on Seven’s market-leading AVOD service, PLUS7 from Yahoo7. PLUS7 will now deliver Live and Catch-up, complementing the company’s expanding presence in SVOD with its Presto partnership with Foxtel.
Seven Launches Programmatic
Seven West Media today unveiled plans for 7 Screens, Seven’s programmatic solution for advertising agencies and marketing partners. Seven’s move into “programmatic buying” will allow advertisers and agencies to connect their brands and campaigns across Seven’s media platforms in real-time through data and analytics.
Seven Delivers Leadership in Sports
Seven is focused on delivering the biggest sports events to all Australians. Seven is the network of the Australian Football League and the Olympic Games. Seven’s long-term partnerships confirms the company’s leadership in sports television with the network continuing to dramatically expand its coverage of major sports across its three digital broadcast television channels and accelerate coverage across online, mobile and other emerging forms of content delivery.
Seven’s commitment to an expanding presence in sports builds on the network’s unprecedented new agreement with the International Olympic Committee. Seven is the network of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020. Seven is also the home of the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016 and the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
Seven’s agreements for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, European Games, Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and the World Swimming Championships join the company’s long-term commitment to the National Football League, including the Super Bowl; The US Masters; Royal Ascot and Wimbledon as major international sports franchises for Seven.
Seven also has all-encompassing agreements for coverage of the Australian Football League
Premiership Season, Finals Series, the Grand Final and Brownlow Medal, and the local Australian Rules Football competitions, the West Australian Football League, the Victorian Football League and the South Australian National Football League; the Bathurst 12 Hour Endurance Race; all major horse racing events including the Sydney Easter Carnival, the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup Carnival; the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race; all major Australian golf tournaments; the Stawell Gift, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race; the New South Wales Shute Shield in Rugby; all major iron man and triathlon events; the Gold Coast Marathon; and all major tennis tournaments in Australia including The Australian Open and The Davis Cup. Seven also recently secured all-encompassing rights to swimming in Australia and is the network of the Australian Swimming Championships.
Seven in 2016 – Television Programming
New Australian Drama
THE SECRET DAUGHTER
In her first major television role, ARIA and AACTA-winning singer, songwriter and actress, Jessica Mauboy, will star in THE SECRET DAUGHTER, a contemporary family drama produced by Screentime, a Banijay Group company, for the Seven Network. In an original story developed specifically for her, Jessica will portray a part-time country pub singer whose chance meeting with a wealthy city hotelier triggers a series of events that will change her life forever. A feel-good drama which explores the very different Australian worlds of ‘the haves’ and ‘the have nots’, THE SECRET DAUGHTER is full of heart, humour, romance and plenty of music. They say you can’t choose your family, but what happens when a family chooses you? THE SECRET DAUGHTER goes into production next year.
WANTED
It’s Rebecca Gibney as you’ve never seen her before in a gripping new drama that won’t let you go. Strangers Lola (Rebecca Gibney, Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door, Winter, Packed to the Rafters,) and Chelsea (theatre star Geraldine Hakewill in her first major television role) intervene in a deadly carjacking at their suburban bus stop and are swept up in a roller coaster chase across Australia in a car full of money. They are wanted by both sides of the law and must quickly adjust to a new life on the run with only each other for protection. Not even they know what they’re capable of. Stephen Peacocke (Hercules, Home and Away), Ryan Corr (Holding The Man, Love Child, Packed To The Rafters) and Nicholas Bell (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Tangle, Satisfaction, Newstopia) also star. WANTED is produced by Matchbox Pictures in conjunction with R&R Productions for the Seven Network.
MOLLY
This two part mini-series chronicles the rise of Molly Meldrum: the music, the celebrities, the parties, the international trips, the behind-the-scene politics, his partners in crime and most of all, the story of Molly himself – a bloke who changed Australian culture forever. From humble beginnings in Quambatook, Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum rose to become the most influential and powerful name in Australian music. Through the phenomenon that became a cultural touchstone, Countdown, Molly’s passion for music and life quickly found him a place in the heart of an entire nation. MOLLY stars Samuel Johnson as Molly, with Tom O’Sullivan, TJ Power, Krew Boylan, Aaron Glenane, Rebecca Breeds and Connor Crawford. MOLLY is an M4 Entertainment Production for the Seven Network.
New Australian Productions
SUNDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY
The only series on TV that says “Don’t just watch the ads – win them!” is headed to primetime on Seven with a host of jaw-dropping stunts, hilarious surprises and mind-boggling shocks for the studio audience and viewers at home. Based on the BAFTA-winning hit UK series Saturday Night Takeaway, hosted by award winners Ant and Dec, this brilliant, original and inventive series puts a fresh spin on the live entertainment and variety genre. A-list superstars will join the fun live in the studio, but not even the biggest stars are safe with some of the most extravagant and ambitious celebrity pranks ever-to-be-seen on TV. One lucky member of the studio audience will be given the chance to play for the contents of a commercial break in Win the Ads, with spectacular prizes including cars and holidays on offer. Each show will end in spectacular
style as some of the world’s biggest and best performers grace the Takeaway stage for a one-off
performance that will come with its own unique surprise! SUNDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY will be must-see TV!
KISS BANG LOVE
Kiss your way to love in the provocative new dating format from the creators of Married at First Sight. Research shows that kissing is a powerful tool in our search for the right partner so in a radical new TV experiment, we put this to the test. Ten Aussie singles will be matched with 15 potential partners. Most are strangers. Some are acquaintances. Others may be former lovers. They’ll skip the awkward dates and try to kiss their way to love before deciding who to take on a romantic holiday. Will a pash lead to passion? Is one smitten after a smooch? Can a kiss from a stranger end in love?
THE DAY THE CASH CAME
What would you do if a life-changing briefcase of cash appeared on your doorstep? Blow it all on a spending spree, or spend the money wisely and invest in a brighter future? This ground-breaking new social experiment tests the latest theory that people should be trusted to make their own decisions about how they’re helped financially, and that simply handing them large sums of cash could be the most effective solution. We’ll follow families as they’re gifted a lump sum of cash – no strings attached – and the impact and repercussions the new money has on them and the people around them. With the help of a financial advisor, they have to work out what to do with the money. Every decision must be their own – their advisor cannot force them to do anything. Could turning their fortunes around really be as simple as handing them
an enormous sum of money? Experience the heartwarming highs and crushing lows as these families’ lives are changed forever.
New Series for Seven’s Hits
MKR 2016
Pete Evans and Manu Feildel return with a seventh season of Australia’s number one regular program, MY KITCHEN RULES. An average audience of 2.43 million viewers tuned in this year to see Pommie best mates Will and Steve take out the 2015 title and $250,000 in prize money. Acclaimed chefs Colin Fassnidge, Karen Martini, Guy Grossi and Liz Egan return to Kitchen HQ next year to judge the new batch of aspiring home cooks. And when the MKR doorbell rings in 2016, there will be a new face at the dinner table!
HOUSE RULES 2016
Australia’s number one renovation show averaged more than 1.6 million viewers in 2015. Next year’s teams all have one thing in common – their family has grown, but their house hasn’t. It’s CROWDED HOUSE RULES and this time, they’re doing it for their family. There are bigger challenges, bigger decisions, bigger designs and bigger reveals as big Aussie families make the most of every nook and cranny in an attempt to win their entire mortgage paid off in full. Returning for HOUSE RULES in 2016 are host Johanna Griggs, judges Wendy Moore and Joe Snell, and team mentor, Carolyn Burns-McCrave.
800 WORDS
Seven has commissioned a second season of Australia’s number one drama, 800 WORDS, which stars Erik Thomson (Packed to the Rafters) and features breakout performances from newcomers Melina Vidler and Benson Jack Anthony. The series has topped Tuesday nights and averaged 2 million viewers nationally since its September launch. Year-to-date, it’s the number two regular program behind MKR.
Also back in 2016 are returning favourites HOME AND AWAY, SUNRISE, THE MORNING SHOW,
THE DAILY EDITION, SUNDAY NIGHT, THE CHASE AUSTRALIA, BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS, DANCING WITH THE STARS, THE X FACTOR, WINNERS AND LOSERS and more.
